The present invention relates to a disc player which is capable of containing a plurality of discs and plays back a disc selected therefrom and a method of controlling the disc player.
FIGS. 20A and 20B are diagrams showing a prior art disc player disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2,813,174 published on Dec. 22, 1998. FIG. 20A shows an exploded perspective view of a disc holding/separating section 90 for holding a plurality of discs 91 and 91a, and FIG. 20B shows a side view showing a playback section 92. Referring to FIGS. 20A and 20B, when a disc 91a to be played back is selected from the plurality of discs, a tray 93a on which the selected disc 91a is placed is separated from the remaining trays 93 by a separating and positioning mechanism (not shown), thereby creating upper and lower spaces 94a and 94b above and below the selected disc 91a. A playback base 95 together with a clamper arm 98a is lifted up to an elevation corresponding to the tray 93a and rotates about an axis 95a to move the turntable 96 and an optical pickup 97 into the upper space 94a and to move a clamper 98 mounted on the clamper arm 98a into the lower space 94b. After that, the clamper arm 98a swings upward about a shaft 98b in a direction Q to separate the selected disc 91a from the tray 93a and urges it against the turntable 96. Subsequently, the turntable 96 is rotated to play back the selected disc 91a. 
In the above-described prior art disc player, the playback base 95 is provided with both the turntable 96 and the clamper 98, which are simultaneously conveyed into the upper space 94a and the lower space 94b, respectively. Therefore, the upper space 94a and the lower space 94b must be simultaneously secured above and below the selected disc 91a. Accordingly, a thickness of the disc holding/separating section 90 is increased, which results in an increased thickness of the prior art disc player.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a disc player with a reduced thickness, and a method of controlling the disc player.
According to the present invention, a disc player which is capable of containing a plurality of discs and plays back a disc selected from the plurality of discs, comprises a disc holding/separating mechanism which holds the plurality of discs concentrically and which separates the selected disc from the remaining discs to form a first space below the selected disc; a turntable; a pickup which reads out data recorded on the selected disc which is placed on the turntable; a turntable support mechanism which supports the turntable and which moves between an outside of the plurality of discs held by the disc holding/separating mechanism and the first space; a disc carrier mechanism which holds and conveys the selected disc between the disc holding/separating mechanism and the turntable; a clamper which secures the selected disc to the turntable; a clamper support mechanism which supports the clamper and which moves between an outside of the plurality of discs held by the disc holding/separating mechanism and a second space formed above the selected disc which is placed on the turntable; and a control mechanism which controls motion of the turntable support mechanism and the clamper support mechanism.
Further, it is preferable that when the selected disc is placed on the turntable, a center of the turntable is positioned off a central axis of the plurality of discs held by the disc holding/separating mechanism. Furthermore, when the selected disc is placed on the turntable, a center of the turntable may be positioned on a central axis of the plurality of discs held by the disc holding/separating mechanism. Moreover, the pickup may be mounted on the turntable support mechanism.
The disc player may further comprise a sub-base which supports the turntable support mechanism. The turntable support mechanism may include a first pole provided on the sub-base; and a playback base which is supported on the first pole so as to be rotatable about the first pole, wherein the turntable is mounted on the playback base.
Further, the disc player may further comprise a sub-base which supports the clamper support mechanism. The clamper support mechanism may include a second pole provided on the sub-base; and a clamper arm which is supported on the second pole so as to be rotatable about the second pole, wherein the clamper is mounted on the clamper arm.
Furthermore, the disc player may further comprise a base plate; a sub-base which is supported on the base plate and which supports the turntable support mechanism and the clamper support mechanism; a vibration absorbing member which is interposed between the base plate and the sub-base; a lock member which is movably provided on the base plate and which is engaged with the sub-base when locking the sub-base in place; and a lock member moving mechanism which causes the lock member to lock the sub-base when the clamper does not secure the selected disc to the turntable and which causes the lock member to unlock the sub-base when the clamper secures the selected disc to the turntable.
Moreover, the control mechanism may include a first motor; a cam gear which has a cam groove and which rotates by driving power supplied from the first motor; and a moving member which includes an engagement pin for engaging with the cam groove of the cam gear and which moves by driving power fed through the cam gear; wherein both the turntable support mechanism and the clamper support mechanism engage with the moving member and moves in turn by driving power fed through the moving member.
The disc player may further comprise a second motor; wherein both the disc carrier mechanism and the lock member moving mechanism operate by driving power supplied from the second motor. The control mechanism may include a clutch mechanism which is capable of transmitting driving power from the second motor; a cam gear which has a cam groove and which rotates by driving power supplied through the clutch mechanism from the second motor; and a moving member which includes an engagement pin for engaging the cam groove of the cam gear and which moves by driving power fed through the cam gear; wherein the turntable support mechanism and the clamper support mechanism engage with the moving member and moves in turn by driving power fed through the moving member.
According to the present invention, a method of controlling a disc player comprising the steps of: forming a first space below a disc selected from a plurality of discs which are concentrically held by a disc holding/separating mechanism of the disc player; moving a turntable mounted on a turntable support mechanism of the disc player from an outside of the plurality of discs held by the disc holding/separating mechanism to the first space; conveying the selected disc from the disc holding/separating mechanism onto the turntable by a disc carrier mechanism of the disc player; moving a clamper supported on a clamper support mechanism of the disc player from an outside of the plurality of discs held by the disc holding/separating mechanism to a second space formed above the selected disc which is placed on the turntable; and securing the selected disc to the turntable by the clamper.
The method may further comprise the steps of: raising the clamper from the selected disc which is placed on the turntable to the second space; moving the clamper from the second space to the outside of the plurality of discs held by the disc holding/separating mechanism; conveying the selected disc from the turntable to the disc holding/separating mechanism; and moving the turntable from the first space to the outside of the plurality of discs held by the disc holding/separating mechanism.